Sonic Investigations, exploring architecture through sound
Data de publicação: 13.11.2025
What does sound have to do with architecture? Nothing, you think? Then perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to head to Venice and visit the Luxembourg pavilion in the Arsenale during the 19th edition of the Architecture Biennale to see the ‘Sonic Investigations’ project. You will have to be quick, as the Biennale is in its final stages and closes its doors on 23 November.
Sonic Investigations aims to create a new, mysterious and embodied experience of space
The essence of Sonic Investigations can be summarised briefly. Architecture and territory are explored through sound. The focus is thus shifted from the usual visual to the sonic, based on sound recordings made in Luxembourg. In the pavilion, you are confronted with a sound installation, a book (‘Ecotones: Investigating Sounds and Territories’) and special activation activities. The exhibition was curated by Valentin Bansac, Mike Fritsch and Alice Loumeau.
Sensory relationship with the environment
Sonic Investigations responds to the fact that in our image-saturated contemporary society, sight often overshadows other senses that are essential for understanding the invisible dynamics of our sensory relationship with our environment. Inspired by John Cage's silent song 4'33'', this project invites you to close your eyes and listen actively. As a counter-project to the hegemony of images, listening opens up new possibilities for exploring both the built and natural environments and shifting your attention to giving voice to more than human entities.
Valentin Bansac, Mike Fritsch and Alice Loumeau organised the exhibition
As both a practical and theoretical investigation, the project serves as a tool for re-exploring the densely populated territory of Luxembourg. It thus becomes an important case study for global Western paradigms in the field of spatial planning. The sounds of the region merge with each other and raise the question: how can the interwoven nature of specific contemporary situations in Luxembourg be revealed? By listening attentively and making field recordings that capture a range of sounds from diverse environments, Sonic Investigations creates a new, mysterious and embodied experience of space, emphasising the value of sensory approaches in spatial practices.
Practical information
Where: the Arsenale in Venice, Sale d'Armi (1st floor), Italy.
When: until 23 November, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
As both a practical and theoretical investigation, the project re-explores the densely populated territory of Luxembourg